Jesse Boykins III: NPR Music Field Recordings

The day after playing a set at the Superdome during the Essence Music Festival this summer, eclectic R B singer Jesse Boykins III wandered into Mardi Gras World an expansive, airy warehouse packed wall to wall with floats used in New Orleans infamous parades. The floats are built from the ground up inhouse, so Boykins found himself surrounded by unfinished works and spare parts. With the whir of a huge exhaust fan behind him, the singer forwent accompaniment and sang one of the most emotional tracks fr